There were so many things in play as Max Scherzer stalked the mound at Citi Field on Saturday night, putting the finishing touches on his second no-hitter of the season. If you are a baseball fan with a fertile imagination, it is impossible not to let your mind wander and get carried away.

A few such notions:

TWO: PART ONE

Scherzer became the fifth man to throw two no-hitters in the sane season, and it’s interesting that one of those, Allie Reynolds, was recalled far and wide this week because the late Yogi Berra extended Reynolds’ bid for No. 2 in 1951 by dropping a Ted Williams foul pop. He was able to instantly redeem himself a few moments later when Reynolds coaxed Williams into another pop up. That one, he gloved.

Nolan Ryan and Virgil Trucks threw no-hitters twice in the same year — Ryan in 1973 and Trucks in ’52. And Johnny Vander Meer, of course, posted the gold standard in this category by throwing back-to-back no-nos for the Reds in 1938.

TWO: PART TWO

Amazingly, the Mets never before had been no-hit twice in the same year. Considering some of the teams the Mets have fielded during their periods of slapstick (1962-68), gruesome (1977-83) and modern blight (2002-04, 2009-14) that’s hard to believe.

TWO: PART THREE

The Mets and Dodgers will square off in the NLDS starting next Friday. Both teams have been no-hit twice this year.

LAST LAUGHS?

It did seem a little odd seeing the Nats celebrate the no-hitter on the Citi turf, since it was a deep-seeded nightmare of many Mets fans that these season-ending games against Washington might yield an entirely different kind of celebration.

Is there really any shame in getting no-no’d? There have been seven of them this year after all, and six came at the expense of playoff participants (Mets two, Dodgers two, Cubs and Pirates).

Celebrating NationalsGetty Images

THE MOOSE OUT FRONT SHOULD HAVE TOLD YOU

Of course, any Mets fan with a sense of history knew exactly where to look for solace the moment Curtis Granderson popped out to end it: Saturday, Sept. 20, 1969. Ed Kranepool, Ron Swoboda and Rod Gaspar all walked, but that was all the Mets could manage against Bob Moose in front of 38,784 at Shea Stadium, where the Pirates won a third straight game over the Mets.

A bummer, sure. But the Mets still led by four games. The next day they would start a nine-game winning streak that would spark them the rest of the way. After Moose, the Mets went 16-2 and, well, you know how that story ended.

HOW GOOD

Maybe there’s an unwritten rule that only perfect games can be considered for the single greatest pitching performances of all time. But Scherzer’s gem does show how quirky the perfect game is. He had nothing to do with what ruined the perfecto, Yunel Escobar’s throwing error.

Scherzer struck out 17. He damn near tied Tom Seaver’s record of 10 straight strikeouts, which has stood for 45 years. If this wasn’t the best pitching performance ever, it ought to be on an awfully short list. And consider how close Scherzer came to throwing a perfect game at Pittsburgh in June: He hitting Jose Tabata with two out in the ninth, and Tabata admitted he tried to get hit, a ploy the umpire would’ve been well within his rights to overturn.

Whack Back at Vac

Vic Copello: BRAND NEW METS! S-A-M-E O-L-D J-E-T-S!

Vac: It doesn’t take much, does it?

Mitchell Dodell: There won’t be any team 20 games under .500 in the playoffs. When in your life have you seen a team like the Mets in a stretch drive play four different teams more than 20 games under .500 in a row? It’s a joke.

Vac: Well, baseball isn’t college football, there’s no strength of schedule provision. And the Mets will sink or swim on their own soon enough against good teams. At least one good team, anyway.

@sambolef: Phil Jackson to put a Matt Harvey-type shot count on Carmelo Anthony — the Pass Count will be left up to Melo.

@MikeVacc: If Phil hadn’t thought of that yet, he has now.

John Eyerman: Terry Collins deserves Manager of the Year. Period.

Frank McCormack: The only bad thing about the Mets making the playoffs is I have to watch Terry Collins manage extra games this year.

Vac: Welcome to the most polarizing issue in New York sports at this precise moment.

Vac’s Whacks

We’re all guilty of letting too much time pass under our feet without recognizing the teachers and coaches who did so much for us as kids. I was lucky to have so many good ones. This week, I’m thinking of one in particular: Rob Pomponio. Thanks for everything, Coach.

I’m very much looking forward to the Eli vs. Rex chess match this afternoon.